This note is going to talk about something different. I’ve been sharing about my national role with The Navigators …my Tonka Projects. As I have headed into the fall, I’ve been curious and hopeful about my local opportunities.
A chunk of my time is set aside for personal ministry, individually helping folks move towards Christ. I want to talk about one of these local efforts. For the full list things I’m doing, see below this story.
This fall I decided to use the ESV Scripture Journal of 1 & 2 Samuel in the same format. The journal is simply laid out with the Scripture
on the left page and a blank page on the other. This tool teaches us a bunch, but one skill is crucial for our spiritual growth.
1 Samuel 3 tells the account the boy Samuel hearing God’s voice in the Temple. At first, he doesn’t recognize it. He wakes the Priest Eli three times asking, “Did you call me Eli?” Finally, Eli tells Samuel it is the Lord who is calling you. He tells little Samuel, “Next time you hear the Lord’s voice say, ‘Speak Lord your servant is listening.’” Samuel does that and the Lord downloads critical words to him about Israel.
Here’s the point, in reading Scripture, each one of us must develop the spiritual acumen to know God’s voice, to hear his heart. We each must approach the Bible saying, “Speak Lord your servant is listening.”
Devotionals, the verse of the Day, commentaries are helpful. As followers of the Lord, we must be able to hear his voice speaking in his text and then live out his directives. Jesus echoes this in John 10 when he said, “My sheep know my voice.”
So, this fall I’ve pulled together 21 people who are reading 1& 2 Samuel with me. Five different groups composed of: four men from church, two Middle School leaders, two local pastors, the six folks that are on the executive team I serve on, a pastor’s discipleship group, five of my Ministry Leads. As I asked it was interesting that several of them said, “This hits at a great time. I need this.”
All those different individuals are exciting. It is encouraging to see all sorts of people in places spiritually hearing from God. They are being led by the Lord as they keep reading, listening and wrestling through the words on the page. What a joy it is to hear one of these folks speak with conviction as they’ve found something fresh from the Lord.
It all starts with you and I saying, “Speak Lord your servant is listening.”
Let’s all take that step today.
My Other Local Work
- Two discipleship groups
- Mentoring two church leaders
- Ongoing projects at Akron Cooperative Farms
- Coaching church’s disciplemaking team
- Resourcing two churches in their disciplemaking
- Serving alongside our 21 Navstaff in Northeast Ohio
- Equipping through our Akron Disciplemakers
Other reason I like the Scripture Journal
- It allows the Holy Spirit to guide me, instead of a curriculum.
- I can write all over the journal: underlining phrases, making notes, outlining the chapter and prayer requests.
- It prompts me to write …which is what journaling is about. Even chicken scratch or little phrases is at the essence of what is journaling.
- It allows me to lead others in difference ways depending on the people or outcomes I want to see. For instance, with 1&2 Samuel I told people to look for leadership principles both bad and good. When I was going through the Gospel of Matthew read one chapter a week by daily reading one section.